There’s good and bad news for NASCAR and Fox Sports regarding Sunday’s Daytona 500 ratings. This year’s race, according to Sports Media Watch, averaged a 3.4 rating and 6.76 million viewers, reflecting a 13% increase from 2024. However, last year’s ratings were impacted by a rain delay that pushed the event to Monday, which typically hampers viewership.
Despite the increase, Sunday’s race encountered significant competition for attention. Rain delays resulted in most of the race occurring between approximately 6:15 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., directly conflicting with NBC’s Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special and TNT’s NBA All-Star Game. However, the afternoon segment, starting just after 2 p.m., attracted 7.96 million viewers, potentially boosted by the presence of President Donald Trump at the speedway, who was prominently featured during NASCAR on Fox’s pre-race show.
President Donald Trump has a message for drivers ahead of the Daytona 500, as shown on the Fox broadcast. pic.twitter.com/tiTbmIjO2H
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 16, 2025
Despite the 13% rise in viewership from 2024, this year’s race recorded the third-lowest ratings for the Daytona 500, surpassing only last year and the 2021 race, which concluded after midnight due to a rain delay. NASCAR’s TV ratings have been trending down over the years, and it has been challenging to assess the ratings for its flagship event, the Daytona 500, especially given the rain disruptions in recent times. Sports Media Watch highlights that the race has only been run in its scheduled time slot twice since 2019, in 2022 and 2023.
